The shack is pretty functional. All shacks ought to have one purpose and one purpose only; that is to offer to the operator the best layout for his or her operating. There is no such thing as a perfect layout. A contester, for example, may have a very different layout than a Moonbounce operator or a DXer. Function defines form. Since I do a bit of everything on the low bands, I have created my station with easily accessible panels determined by the frequency (no pun intended) of use.
My QRZ.com page
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HARDWARE
TS 480SAT - for the car IC 756 Pro III - for CW and SSB, digital and CLOVER
IC 746 Pro - for CW and SSB Palstar Tuner - (not shown)
LDG AT1000 - automatic tuner SM220 - station monitor
W2IHY EQ Plus - audio balancer W2IHY 8 Band Equalizer - audio enhancement
Heil Boom Microphones - absolutely the best and worth the investment. I use HC-4 & HC-5 single muff booms, Proset Elite & Proset & Proset Micro Single with the HC-6 element. There is also a PR-751 for ragchewing.
WinKeyer - terrific keyer computer controlled
Alpha 78 Amplifier - an incredible amplifier
MFJ Keyers - show me a shack without an MFJ accessory!HamGadgets MK-1 Keyer - Without doubt, the very best keyer I have ever used. It is fully WinKeyer compliant, keyboard input, paddle input, hand key input, computer controlled, etc. All the other keyers are for outdoor/portable use or simply for backup. The MK-1 is, in my opinion, untouchable.
Vibroplex Paddles, Bugs and Key - sometimes Rigblaster Pro - the very finest in digital interfaces - really
I'm a keyer guy and sometimes a bug guy!
NCS 3240 Multi Switcher - "mini-console" that
lets you switch all operator equipment (
microphone, headset, keyer, foot-switch, etc)
to any rig
Bencher Paddle - so smoooooooth
HAL DXP-38 - For Clover
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SOFTWARE
My philosophy on software: In a word, KISS - keep it simple, stupid! There are hundreds of programs out there and each one claims to be better than the rest. Some have incredible logging capabilities including scanning in QSL cards and downloading pictures from QRZ.com and other stuff that truly dazzles the mind. However, despite all the advances in logging and the complexities presented by the programers and developers, it seems to me that the simpler you keep your life, the better. I have used almost all the programs, downloaded them and tried them out. It is funny but I keep ending up to the most basic, useable, stable (very important) and easy to use software. When in QSO, I don't want to keep pressing buttons, downloading pictures, etc. You may disagree with me, of course; that's what makes for great QSO exchanges! The programs below are the ones I use all the time or very often. The list is by no means complete but I have found these programs to be the best out there and the best value.
ACLog and N3FJP contest specific logs - easy and intuitive - terrific everyday logging capabilities and great contest logging software - inexpensive, too, and the support - if you need it - is really terrific.
Logic8 - very sophisticated logging and computer control program for the shack. I have used so many programs but I keep coming back to Logic.
DXtreme - for very comprehensive data management. Sometimes used.
WriteLog - great RTTY contest software
N1MM Software - free software that directly competes with WriteLog
Ham Radio Deluxe and DM780 - logging and digital mode software with computer control for the radio - extensive and free
Digipan - free, easy to use software for PSK31 and PSK63 (but not PSK125)
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Why are there two monitors?
I'm glad you asked! I only use one computer for such things as logging, digital modes, gray line, browsing, and so forth. I found that it was very inconvenient to keep switching back and forth between programs, especially when going from digital modes to the logging program. A cheap board is available that can give your computer dual monitor functionality. How cool is that? Now I can keep the logging program on one screen and the digital program on the other without having to flip back and forth through windows to find what I need.
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ANTENNAS
The antenna system is quite modest. I am using and Explorer 14 mounted on a roofmount which brings the antenna to about 30 feet. For the lower bands, I have a G5RV and a dipole for 17 meters, Butternut HF9V vertical and, as a spare HF antenna if the G5RV falls down, an Alpha Delta DXCC multiband dipole. There are also verticals for 2, 440 and 6 meters.
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